I owned a car that was recalled, because the cruise control switch could catch fire. I received my recall AUGUST 3, 2007 my son burned in this car 8 months earlier, Ford denies this claim of wrongful death court will be this summer, lets let a jury decide.
-- Ford Motor Co. announced the recall of an additional 3.6 million passenger cars, trucks, sport-utility vehicles and vans to fix a cruise-control switch that has been linked to at least 1,100 engine fires and prompted five previous recalls beginning in January 2005. The recall includes 177,000 vehicles in Mexico, Canada and Europe. The company has cumulatively recalled almost 10.3 million vehicles but still leaves 5.7 million vehicles at risk.

Ford recently admitted to receiving reports of engine fires involving older Crown Victoria sedans that were not included in the earlier recalls but came equipped with the same speed control deactivation switch manufactured by Texas Instruments Inc. The switch, which is powered at all times, can leak over time and cause an electrical fire. Fires in vehicles covered by previous Ford recalls have led to at least three fatalities, garage and house fires.

The fix will occur in two stages because units to correct the problem will not be available until October. Ford will begin notifying owners by mid-month to take their recalled vehicles in to Ford dealerships to have the switch disconnected. Then in October, owners will have to take their vehicles back to complete the installation.

Problems with the Texas Instruments device first surfaced in the late 1990s, prompting Ford to recall nearly 280,000 1992 and 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis sedans. A year later, NHTSA began an investigation after receiving complaints about engine fires in Ford vehicles that used the device. As that investigation expanded, Ford recalled more and more vehicles, including 740,000 F-150s, Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators while maintaining that there was no conclusive evidence that the switches were to be blamed. In September 2005 and again in August 2006, Ford respectively recalled another 3.8 million and 1.2 million vehicles.

===

AUGUST 3, 2006 -- Ford Motor Co. has cumulatively recalled 6.7 million vehicles since January 2005 that are equipped with a Texas Instruments speed control deactivation switch that has been linked to dozens of engine fires. The recall, although massive, is incomplete and leaves millions of Ford owners fending for themselves.

Staging a recall in three separate notices only serves Ford's interest. Ford recalled 792,000 vehicles in January 2005 when their own investigation in 1999 revealed a deadly problem that could affect millions of vehicles. The subsequent recalls, 3.8 million vehicles in September 2005, and 1.2 million vehicles in August 2006, still leaves approximately 9.3 million vehicles at risk.

About 16 million of the switches in question are used in Ford vehicles and 4 million in non-Ford vehicles. Incidents of fires involving non-Ford vehicles have not been reported. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it will continue to monitor vehicles equipped with the switch that have not been recalled.

The NHTSA has received 1,472 complaints about malfunctioning cruise controls. 559 reported vehicle fires, 253 of them in unrecalled models. It has confirmed 65 vehicle fires, but no fatalities, although there are at least 13 wrongful death suits filed against Ford involving switch fires. Most of the fires in question occurred when the vehicles were not running. The fires can ignite well after the engine has been turned off because electric current continues to run through the switch.

The NHTSA reported fatigue failure of a brake seal allows fluid to corrode the cruise control switch when it's pointed up. "The brake systems generate a vacuum that can potentially cause the (switch) to fail and in certain installation orientations catch fire."

Ford maintained there was no conclusive evidence the systems were malfunctioning and sparking fires until last September, when it recalled 3.8 million pickups and SUVs from the 1994 to 2002 model years, including the F-150.

In the late 1980s, Ford asked Texas Instruments to build a fourth-generation speed control switch -- first introduced in the 1960s. Then in the spring of 1992, Ford asked Texas Instruments to develop a quieter switch.

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Overcharged Money Than Estimated And Not Fixing The Car After Getting Money

Posted by pruthvi on 01/26/2009

BRAMPTON -- Complaint about the Overcharged Money than estimated and taking too much time

As I Went to Ford’s service station on 2nd Dec.2008 because my car ’96 mercury sable’ has heating and air conditioning problem (couldn’t work). Ford’s service advisor estimated : 378 cd$ plus tax for the job after their mechanics investigated same in their service station. After few hours I got message from service advisor that estimated cost will be more because they has to installed one more part. Why this is not investigated before ?. So I paid extra money (total cd $402.37 + cd$ 141.25 = cd$543.62).

Now after doing this job, within 20 days again the car has a same problem. So I came to service station and ford’s service station replaced the part but charged me the labor cost. Why service station charged money for the same job for the same technical problem (This is under warranty). As I talked to service advisor and manager john for the same job and agreed to replaced part without any cost (more than estimated) on an 6th Jan. 2008. On 12th Jan.2008 service station charged me 168 cd$ money for the job. Why service station keep charging money for the same job? After Taking again the money, I got a phone call from service advisor (Linda) and she told me that my car is ready. When I went to service station and checked my car and found the original problem is still there. I checked with their mechanic and he then accepted that problem is not fixed and it’s not the problem with the part but the connection fitted into the part ? that means it’s not properly done the job. Again they gave me appointment and I put my car in their service station and waste my time and again I got a phone call from ford’s service advisor that car is fixed. I went there and checked with their manager (John) and found that car is not fixed. Manager (John) told me to come again. What is this ?Why the problem is not fixed properly.

Now they are telling me that they need to put some more parts inside the car. Because after charging again 168 cd $ the car is not fixed and calling me on phone that car is ready but in actual it’s not fixed. Ford’s service station not supposed to charge money again and again. They gave me estimate and it is supposed to be fixed in that estimated cost. But they charged me again 168 CD$ and but after getting this money they didn’t fixed the car and said I need to pay 450 CD$ more to fix the problem.

I request them to complete this job as soon as possible and return the money.(More than estimated.) Now at this point I paid them (543.62cd$ + 168.65cd$ =732.27 cd$ + cd$124.3=836.57 cd$).

I paid 836.57 CD$ but actual estimated cost from them is 378 CD$ as this is written by ford’s service station on my invoice. They are wasting my lots of time and not ready to talk. Its Looks like ignoring me.

I am going to register the complaint to the Ministry of consumer and business services.
For your reference following are the Invoice numbers :

WESTLAND, MICHIGAN -- I bought a used Ford Escort SE(1999) from a dealership near my home in Michigan in late August 2005, less than one year ago, with 22,000 actual miles on it. Since then it's made sure to suck enough money out of me so that I could never afford to buy another car. Stated by the salesman wasa the brakes were newer (at least over half their life left), the entire car had been inspected before sale, and the car had never been in any accidents.

Less than one week after I bought it the car started violently shaking at idle, from bad motor mounts; a defent that took two visits to their dealership fix. During the first fix the mechanic tried feeding me a bull line about the "engine is so powerful that it causes extra vibrations" (a 1999 Escort SE gets about 110 HP. I've been outrun by minivans. Powerful engine my a**). Also noted to the mechanics both times was a squealing noise from the brakes. The mechanics both told me that the brakes were new on and not in need of fixing; neither one even looked at them.

Two weeks after the motor mounts were finally fixed (now September), the air conditioning stopped working. Took it in, was told the entire system had been looked over and the compressor was replaced. Again brought up the now rubbing brakes, was told there was nothing wrong with them.

October, check engine light comes on repeatedly at random. I pull over to check the engine and notice the entire harness for the headlights is cracked across the front. Headlights and front clip are now held on by less than two inches of plastic. I also notice wat seems to be masking material for a paint job near the hinges of the hood. This car's front has been repainted...and replaced, though I was told it was not... dealership refuses to replace the cracked part, saying that under warranty or not it doesn't cover any "body damage".

Almost rear end a car for lack of brakes in late October. Jack up the car and remove the wheel; the pads and rotors have HEAVY damage. Rotors are warped and chipped to hell. I take it into the dealership to complain, they say that brakework is not in their warranty and that I must've done it. Mileage is approximately 24-26,000 miles at this time, and I mostly highway drive...mechanics have told me there is no way I caused that much damage to those short of hitting them with a hammer.

Took it in for first oil change at around 25,000 miles,air filter looked as if it had been dipped in sewage. My old Chevy Celebrity had had the same air filter since '03 and looked cleaner (2003-2005!)So much for inspections. Replaced.

Periodically check engine sensor pings on and off. The dealership won't look at it even unless I pay them $100, and not all sensors are covered by their warranty. Could run me over $300 just for a sensor. Car also started sucing gas, gets about 20 mi to the gallon instead of 28-30 highway. No idea why.

April 2006, car starts vibrating all the time, makes ticking noises. Over a week it becomes deafening. Take it in, mechanic insists there's nothing wrong. I refuse to leave until they look at it. Inspection finds a cracked flywheel, replaced.

May 2006, air conditioning goes AGAIN. It's only been used a good three times since the last repair! The dealership refuses to warranty their last work, saying that the wiring can corrode so it won't work. Problem: wiring does not corrode that much in 8 months, meaning they put bad wiring back into my car during their "inspection".

June, paint starts chipping. Everywhere. Big flakes. I noticed a bit around the doors earlier, but got concerned when chips the sixe of my thumbnail started falling off the car for no reason.

Went to complain to the managers of North Brothers Ford...the manager who inspected my car basically accused me of lying. He told me that "people put ideas into my head" and "there's nothing wrong with this car"...in short, they would give me 1500 in a trade for it...I paid over 6 grand for the thing less than a year ago. I know 6 grand isn't a lot, but I'm a college student who's now stuck with an unreliable car that I really couldn't afford; I bought it because it was promised to last me longer than my past heaps. No one there offers help, I just keep getting lied to, can't afford a lawyer for lemon lawsuit. Trying to sell the car to cut my losses...not working too good. Ford, you suck.

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Ford's Owner Notification Program Shell Game

Posted by Archie on 11/01/2003

PINCONNING, MICHIGAN -- In 2001 my wife purchased a 1999 Ford Contour with only 17,000 miles at an authorized Ford dealership. During the time since we have owned the vehicle, we received NO information from Ford regarding problems with this particular model.
Well, this summer the interior gremlins decided to become active! The dashboard warped to the point where it is almost touching the windshield, and the fan refused to blow at any speed beside "wind tunnel" high!
When we took it to a local repair garage, two mechanics there told us to take it to the Ford dealership since both problems had been recall items. So, off to the dealership we go, where a computer check on our vehicle gave us the wonderful news that no recalls or TSBs existed on our car. In fact, the dealership even told us that they wished that the dashboard warpage issue was a recall, since they knew of other 1998-1999 Contours with the same problem!!!
The conflicting information caused me to research the situation on the net from the "Contour Enthusiasts Group", "alldata.com", and "BlueOvalNews". Numerous Contour owners described the EXACT same problems and mentioned their cars being repaired at the dealerships for free. I even got the specific numbers concerning the repair procedures and photos of the corrected dashboard.
With this information in hand, I again went back to the dealership, only to be given the same response. Well, I decided to contact Ford headquarters directly, since we all hear so much about their commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, right?
Well, I received the wonderful news that the repairs were done free of charge for a short time under what is called an "Owner Notification Program". This is a technical euphemistic loophole that allows manufacturers to not directly acknowledge defective parts while at the same time placing an arbitrary beginning and ending date upon how long they will be responsible for repairing their defective products! I was told that the notifications were no longer valid - even though I was NOT notified in the first place!!!!
So, after waiting two weeks for a decision on our problem, I was finally informed that Ford would GRACIOUSLY cover 30% of the cost on the dashboard repair since the car was no longer under warranty. This in spite of the fact that during the notification program there was NO cost and NO issue of miles or years in service required to receive the corrected parts and labor.
I could understand this situation IF we had received notification and simply ignored it, but we received NO mailings about these two part defects. In fact, Ford changed the dashboard design on the Contour in 2000 because of the previous defective problem with warpage!
At least this situation helped me in another area. At the time I was debating between purchasing a new Mustang convertible or Chrysler Sebring convertible. After Ford's response, I can only say how much satisfaction I have from driving my Sebring ! I also continue to inform fellow workers, friends, and family about Ford's treatment regarding this situation. I used to recommend Ford products regularly to them. Is this still the situation? I'll let you answer that rhetorical question for yourselves!...Archie Gittins

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Problems Caused by Use of Spare Tire

Posted by Vernon on 04/25/2013

Rating: 3/51

MICHIGAN -- I have a 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis. On 04/18/2013 I had a flat tire and had to put on the spare tire that Ford Motor Co. furnished with the car. It is a little smaller in diameter than the regular tires. When I got back on the road the car would only get 35 mph for about 7 miles then picked up and ran faster. The caution on the tire warns to not exceed 50 mph so I kept it around that. As soon as I was back on the road the ABS light, the park brake light and the stability control light all came on. When I went to have it reset I was told that it had taken out the module that controls this. The cost to replace this is around $300.00.

It is sorry of Ford Motor Co. to supply a spare tire that is going to cause this kind of trouble if you use it.

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Brake Power Booster Failure

Posted by Bruce on 08/11/2012

Rating: 1/51

NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- I recently had to replace the brake power booster of on my 2010 Ford Fusion Se with 77,000 miles. Most of my driving is highway, so I am not doing a lot of stop and go. My mechanic who is a 21 year Ford mechanic said that the part should not have failed on such a new vehicle, and suggested that I contact Ford Motors. I have also spoken to several other mechanics and auto parts suppliers and the consensus is the same. I spoke with a representative at Ford and they refuse to address the issue. What should I do now. I am also having a problem with the fuel inlet light constantly going on and off. If causes the engine light to go on and off as well. I have done everything suggested. What next?

mrbw

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Drivers side mirror

Posted by Annette on 07/31/2012

Rating: 2/51

STERLING, VIRGINIA -- T he drivers side distance mirror is tilted too far left and does not show the left side of the car, the blind spot. This is a definite safety issue. Wile driving on a double land highway and wanting to change lanes to the let, I used the mirror first, saw notng in either distance or close up mirror. And turned my head to left. Turning your head to the left only allows you to see. Part of the left rear window. Wile merging, it turns out that was a car on my left drivers side, which was unseen. This mirror is a definite safety hazard and needs to be replaced by Ford. The right passenger mirror works fine, the way it's supposed to fuction.

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6.0 powerstroke

Posted by Shawn on 03/12/2012

Rating: 1/51

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY -- Truck does not have any power, has a bad miss and smokes. Sometimes black and sometimes blue, its and 06 superduty diesel, has 180,000 miles on it, oil changed every 5000,has been will taken care of. there is a place in ATL. Call bullet proff your 6.0. For $4900 dollars he puts in new head gasets and APR studs, a EGR delegate kit, new water pump, new oil cooler, a programer, flush out of all fluids, a new charge on the AC, and cleaning of the turbo, with a one year warrant . "Now that's customer service" I don't think a heavy duty truck that is only 6 yrs old should be having these problems. THIS IS A FORD PROBLEM and should be taken care of by ford not the consurmer. The only way I'll ever buy another superduty is if ford makes this right.

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Posted by Karin on 03/07/2012

Rating: 1/51

OXNARD -- I took my car to Ford, they were supposed to repair my vehicle but still was not working so I had to take it to other dealer to tell me that the part the Ford replaced was damaged. So I took it to Ford and they changed the part, the car worked for 4 months and stopped again.

I took to other dealer and the problem was the same part, Ford didn't want to replace the part again because they say that there is no warranty, now I spent too much already in that car and the problem still continues..WHAT I CAN DO?

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Recall of fuel tank straps breaking of the F-Series Pickups

Posted by local446 on 01/05/2012

DURANT, IOWA -- Ron Alpen Ford told us the recall included our F-250, the straps broke we had them replaced with new and paid out of pocket, total bill $454.82. Now for over a year they have been giving us the run around saying no it was only the F-150 series and won't go to bat for us and turn this in. My question to you, does it matter if it's a F-150 or F-250, the same problem is involved. We could have been killed when they broke going down the road, but since we were not and we paid to have it fixed Ford can turn a blind eye to the problem. If you look at our history for Ford vehicles you would see we have never caused s stink about anything. We have purchased three new Ford Explorers, two new Ford F-250's, a Mustang along the way, a Ford Ranger and you're willing to loose a good customer over a recall on defective fuel straps??? No idle threats here, we will be driving a new three quarter ton truck this year, this will decide if it's a Ford or not.